97accord_R

Ok so i have a 99 Civic coupe with a B18b1 out of a 98 integra

and i just dont' know what to do, i want power but i also what reliability and strength of the motor.

My first intention was to get a b16, or a GSR head and do the ls/vtec set up but some of my friends were telling me that you don't gain that much HP from the head swap..
so then i was thinking of just buying Low compression pistion, and rods and put a ebay turbo kit on it for how, and just upgrade the kit as i build the car. im not trying to go the cheapest route for power all around but i want some more..fast...

so if anyone could answer these questions alot with some advise...

how much hp gain would i get if the ls/vtec set up?

what would be easiest, and efficent?

what would you do?

roycivic92

yeah go turbo

roycivic92

then go vtec

knoxcivic

for the price go turbo i guarantee you could piece a setup toghether for less than the ebay route on craigslist. the ls vtec is to unreliable. ls is great for boost!

Schister66

Wow...misinformation ftl

LS/VTECs aren't unreliable unless you're an idiot and build them incorrectly. Your setup is really going to come down to your budget for the project. If you check the Marketplace, you can start piecing together a setup and getting an idea of the cost. I would stay the hell away from Craigslist...

As for the turbo setup, if you're actually going to build one, ask for your advice in the Forced Induction forum...not the Civic forum. You'll get a lot better info in the FI forum.

andoxviii

iTrader: (1)

VTEC isn't worth the hype, in my eyes....especially if you are considering boost.

If you swap a VTEC head, yes your engine will make more power....but you still won't be happy with the relatively low gain, and you will want to boost it anyways. Do it right from the beginning and boost the LS. Those engines love boost, since they have a lower compression from the factory than their VTEC counterparts.

Schister66

A straight LS is a good engine to boost especially due to the low cost; however, adding a VTEC head will free up quite a bit of unrealized power. The LS head flows like crap compared to any of the VTEC heads. Having said that, it isn't necessary, but it WILL help

Mrmatt3465

I would go ls/vtec. Its cheaper then piecing together a turbo set up in my opinion. Just make sure you build it right. Its all in the build. Just remember. Putting a GSR head on an LS block =/= GSR redline. Its your r/s ratio that allows for a higher redline. That's a real big common misconception on ls/vtec and its why most people blow up their lsv. Keep it at 7 grand.

andoxviii

iTrader: (1)

I agree its necessary on a stock bottom end, but keeping an LS-V to 7000rpm kind of defeats the purpose. There's a lot of power up top. Fix the r/s to avoid this...

97accord_R

thank you everyone for the input, and this is what im thinking...

first off as quoted above, ls/vtec's arn't unreliable, but it takes alot of money to make them truly reliable. i know this for a fact because i have a buddy who built one. and im really not wanting to spend that much money to gain the little gain from v-tec and the little displacement that the head will get me.

i've looked at the ls build threads here and really
300-500 for the head
extra 400 for a little extra stuff that's recommenced to make it reliable
so thats 700-900 just for the head swap

i could get a good starter kit for 600 and come across come pistons and rods with the rest..and id gain more power.

secondly i think i am going to boost it because i have been told that ls motors are good for boost and everything.

so here is a few questions after this i will be moving to the FI thread.

if i am going to boost them anyone have pistons to recommend?
GSR or even low compression?

does sleeving help lower compression, i would assume so if its adding to the cyliender chamber. to make the area volume smaller.
and if it does then how much of a power gain does it give?

95civic 4door lx

boost the bitch!!!!!!!

what turbo from ebay you gonna get?I wNna boost mine to0!

97accord_R

im getting a full kit t3/t4 from a buddy w/o manifold because im going to buy a good one so i dont have to spend more pgrading over and over

also the kit is only 400

cvcdx

bang for buck= boost > vtec= bling
boost + vtec= all the power you will ever need on the street
i'm not a mathematician but you picking up what i'm puttin down

Mrmatt3465

As for pistons, Just your stock LS pistons are already low compression. That's why LS's like boost so much x]. Just get some new rods [like Golden Eagles] and you should be good to go. If I remember what I read, sleeving a block basically reinforces the cylinder walls. So sleeving the block is another plus in boosting reliably. Good luck with your build man!

98civdx

if you want a reliable car dont go ebay turbo kit. greddy or something full-race and peak boost but the are expensive.
just get a b16 head, maybe a lil more aggresive cams like stage 1 or 2 and go.

97accord_R

i know the ls motor is like 9 something compression wise.
im not getting a complete ebay kit, but its pretty close to one...like i said im just going to get a kit on and upgrade down the road

i get what your saying cvcdx, and i think that may be a possibility down the road to do the boost and v-tec down the road. in till then though i think im going to build the motor good, and boost it. i have come cosmetics i have to get done too..
thanks everyone and be looking for a build thread comming Soon.

also one question, is it really nes. to do v-tec w/ boost? can you feel the difference even with the boost? because i've heard many things and just want to clear it up.

JDM_902

When you tune your car with the turbo gear on it you could set vtec to kick in whenever so hitting boost & vtec pretty much at the same time would set you back in your seat.

What are your power goals?

madracer

I have a B16A2 vtec boosting and the power feels great, you will love vtec boost together... plus i drive with power steering, cruise control and A/C as well.....
I will not go LS/Vtec they are not reliable at all no matter how you build it, they always have problems one way or the other....you will be wasting money and time....just go with LS built motor like you plan or better, I love my b16a2 boosting on vtec and its been like this for the last 2 years now and have had no problems what so ever and race every week you can think about, and is a daily driven car plus my family car too....

97accord_R

i think im just going to boost and build..

and if anything ill either do a b16 swap after i build it

or just put a gsr head and do the v-tec conversion go with a hondata s300 or 200..(more research) but going to make sure everythings good though so i don't have to worry about anything down the road.

KUMAR

wow 300-350 for just the head?

i have a y8 head (yes i know they are much different) and they were going for like 80 on ebay and what not. is the head you're getting that much different in price

JDM_902

yes it is.

SinsEvil666

why are ls/v unreliable? forgot to add that in there, instead of just saying it....throw some facts in there...

ltrkstr2k

wow.... im doing a completely different build with my ls than anybody has mentioned so far. i just got Pr3 pistons (stock b16) it bumped my comp from 9:6 to 11:1. next up is a vtec head. yeah its gonna be high comp pushing close to 200whp but you wont have to worry about the usual boost problems/issues. ie.. over boosting, issues with the ic, oil lines. i am in no way at all doubting turbo builds or anything but a good all motor ls keeps the reliablilty and is pretty peppy normal driving. plus not everybody and their mom is gonna know you car is fast just by looking in the front bumper for your intercooler. Just my .02 though

93egSLEEPER

i would boost the LS for now and gather all the parts for a build and then rebuilt the LSV and boost it some more. as for the rpm issue all that is a bunch of BS. if you build a lsv correctly you can run it to 8k safely

DA3

go ls/v b16 or gsr then turbo the setup my group has 2 ek ls/v turbo making over 500 hp i would recommend getting the full race there really is no cheap way of building a reliable car plus u have to get a tune with either a ls/v or turbo i recommend jeff evans of evans-tuning.com